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E-mailKPOP
When Filipinos fell in love with Koreanovelas, it was inevitable that Korean music would capture their attention.
Filipinos, along with other Asian nationalities jumped into the Korean pop bandwagon as Korean boy bands and girl groups began penetrating the Asian music scene. Filipinos were easily charmed by Korean pop singers’ good looks, trendy styles, fancy dance steps and great harmony.
My 16-year old niece is a big fan of K-POP. Posters of her favorite K-POP bands are plastered on her wall. She does not mind scrimping on food, clothes and shoes as long as she can save a big chunk of her allowance for her personal luxury --- buying original K-POP CDs, DVDs, posters and concert tickets. She even taught herself how to read and write the Korean alphabet (Hangul) so that she can understand K-POP website articles and tweets from her favorite K-POP artists. My niece even makes it a career to vote for her online K-POP idols to support them in online campaigns and contests.
K-POP has successfully penetrated the local music industry as well. Many Filipinos love singing their hearts out along with Korean pop songs even though they couldn’t really understand the words. Pinoys enjoy dancing to the beat of Korean pop songs.
It’s easy to tell that K-POP has created a burgeoning niche in the country because you hear Korean pop songs played during family gatherings and parties. K-POP songs are big favorites when it comes to Karaoke singing. K-POP has certainly made a significant mark in Filipino hearts.
Since I have limited knowledge regarding who’s who in the world of K-POP, I decided to ask my niece to share some names of some of the popular Korean recording pop artists today:
2NE1
I’m quite familiar with this all female group because of Sandara Park, a lovely Korean girl who won 2nd place in ABS-CBN’s Star Circle Quest in 2004. Park appeared in several Filipino movies, television shows and local commercials, becoming a recording artist and releasing a self-titled album during her stay in the Philippines. Her novelty single "In Or Out" became a big hit in the country. Park went back to Korea in 2007 where she signed up with YG Entertainment.
In 2009, the same company launched the all female pop group 2EN1 composed of CL (Lee Chae-rin), Bom (Park Bom), Dara (Sandara Park) and Minzy (Gong Minji). The group’s genre is a mixture of Electro/Pop/R&B. The group has a trail of successful tracks including “I Don’t Care,” “Can’t Nobody,” “Go Away,” “I’m the Best,” “Clap Your Hands,” “It Hurts,” “Ugly,” “Lonely,” “Fire,” and “Lollipop.”
2EN1 staged a successful concert in the Philippines last June 4, 2011 at the Araneta Coliseum.
- SS501
SS501, pronounced as Double-S Five-Oh-One is a South Korean boy band launched in 2005. The group is composed of Kim Hyung Jun, Heo Young Saeng, Park Jung Min, Kim Kyu Jong and Kim Hyun Joong.
If you’re a fan of Koreanovelas, chances are you are familiar with SS501’s leader Kim Hyun Joong who was cast as Yoon Ji Hoo in the popular Korean soap “Boys Over Flowers”. Kim Hyun Joong visited the country in June 2011 for a concert benefit with the K-POP group Beast. He went back to the Philippines last August 25, 2011 to promote his first solo album “Break Down”.
SS501’s popular hits include “Ur Man,” “Déjà vu,” “Because I'm Stupid,” “Find,” “Bye Bye,” “You Are My Heaven,” “Song Calling For You,” and “Snow Prince.”
- Super Junior
Super Junior is a South Korean band composed of 13 members namely Lee Dong Hae, Kim Ryeo Wook, Park Jung Soo (LeeTeuk), Lee Sung Min, Lee Hyuk Jae (EunHyuk), Cho Kyu Hyun, Kim Jong Woon (YeSung), Kim Ki Bum, Kim Hee Chul, Han Kyung/ Han Geng, Kim Young Woon (Kang In), Shin Dong Hee (Shin Dong) and Choi Si Won. As of September 2011, only 8 members are considered active.
Thousands of Filipino fans of Super Junior flocked to Araneta Coliseum on April 10, 2010 to watch their “Super Show 2” concert.
Super Junior’s popular hits include “Marry u,” “Happiness,” “It′s you,” “Sorry Sorry,” “Believe”, “Way for love, “Mirror”, “U” “A Man In Love,” “No Other,” “Hate You Love You,” “Bonamana,” “Twins,” and “In My Dream.”
The group went back to the Philippines and staged another jam-packed concert at the Araneta Coliseum last Feb. 26, 2011.
Pinoy Super Junior fans couldn’t seem to get enough of their favorite boy band. Last October 14, 2011, the Super Junior’s “Super Show 3 3D” concert movie premiered in the country. It showcased the performances of the band during their August concert in Seoul Olympic Stadium in South Korea. Fans’ flocked to Gateway Cineplex in Quezon City to take advantage of the concert movie’s limited run.
- DBSK
DBSK is one of the hottest boy bands in South Korea. The group is composed of 5 members namely Hero (Kim Jae Joong), Max (Shim Chang Min), Xiah (Kim Jun Su), Mickey (Park Yoo Chun) and U-Know (Jung Yun Ho).
DBSK’s popular songs include “Rising Sun,” “O Jung.Ban.Hap,” “Balloons,””Why Did I Fall In Love With You,” ”Purple Line,” “Mirotic,” and “Crazy Love.”
J-POP
If there’s K-POP, there’s also J-POP (abbreviation of Japanese Pop). J-POP made its force felt in the musical mainstream of Japan back in the 1990s.
- Arashi
Arashi is a popular Japanese boyband composed of 5 members namely Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya and Jun Matsumoto. The group was formally introduced on September 15, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Arashi is known for its pop, R&B and hip hop music.
- News
News is another popular Japanese boyband. The group's name is actually an acronym that stands for (North, East, West, South). The 4 members of the band are Keiichiro Koyama, Takahisa Masuda, Shigeaki Kato and Yuya Tegoshi.
Thai POP
Thailand has its share of rising pop stars.
- Tata Young
Tata Young is Thailand's most famous female pop singer. She is half Thai and half American. Young catapulted to stardom at the early age of 15 with her first self-titled album “Amita Tata Young.” She penetrated the international market with her album “I Believe” and single “Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy.”
- Other Thai Pop singers include Bird Thongchai (male Thai pop singer), Golf Mike (composed of 2 brothers) and Peacemaker (Thai pop band).
Photo: “K-POP in Japan” by Danny Choo, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.
Video: “2EN1 – Fire (Street Ver) HD” c/o Youtube; “SS501 A Song Calling For You” c/o Youtube; “Super Junior Concert in the Philippines Interview” c/o Youtube; “[HD] DBSK – Why Did I Fall In Love With You – Official MV + Lyrics” c/o Youtube; “NEWS – Fighting Man [RUS SUB] HD”, c/o Youtube; “[高画質] 嵐 果てない空 PV” c/o Youtube.
Rachel Yapchiongco, also known as Rach to her friends, is a Psychology and Marketing Management graduate of De La Salle University. She took up MBA at the same university. Rachel is a full-time mom to a charming young boy and married to an entrepreneur with a passion for cooking. She shares parenting experiences and slices of everyday life on her personal blog called Heart of Rachel.
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